UPERINTENDENT  OF   PUBLIC  INSTRUCTION 


BULLETIN  No.  6 


A  Forest  Fire  Prevention  Manual 

for  the  School  Children 

of  California 


4*1 


PREPARED  FOR  THE 

Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction 

BY  THE 

State  Forester 

AND 

United  States  Forest  Service 


CALIFORNIA    STATE    PRINTING    OKF1CK 
SACRAMENTO,   1922 


17060 


CONTENTS. 

PACK 
LESSON  1 — The  Forests  of  California 7 

LESSON  2 — The  Effect  of  Fires 13 

LESSON  3— Causes  of  Fires 17 

LESSON  4 — Fire  Prevention 22 

LESSON  5 — How  Fires  Are  Detected  and  Fought 20 

FOREST  MAP  _.  .     0 


FOREWORD. 

To  THE  TEACHERS  OF  CALIFORNIA  : 

Permit  me  to  call  your  attention  to  the  fact  that  section  1665  of  the 
Political  Code,  as  revised  by  the  last  legislature,  makes  it  obligatory 
upon  teachers  to  give  instruction  in  fire  prevention.  This  includes 
the  prevention  of  fire  not  only  in  buildings  but  also  in  forests  and  fields. 
The  State  and  the  United  States  Forestry  Departments  have  prepared 
this  bulletin  in  order  that  the  matter  of  fire  prevention  may  be  ade- 
quately presented.  I  am  sure  I  need  not  urge  the  law  upon  the  teach- 
ers of  California.  They  have  always  responded  whenever  a  public  need 
has  been  brought  to  their  attention. 

California  has  wonderful  forests  that  adorn  the  mountain  regions. 
They  are  the  playgrounds  of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  the  people; 
they  are  the  source  of  much  building  material ;  they  contain  the  springs 
of  great  rivers  that  make  the  plains  fertile.  They  must  be  preserved 
not  only  for  the  sake  of  future  generations  but  also  for  the  present 
generation.  Destructive  fires  sweep  over  great  sections  of  the  forest 
each  year.  Many  of  these  fires  are  due  to  carelessness.  The  teaching 
of  fire  prevention  in  forests  is  a  great  public  need.  I  appeal  to  the 
teachers  to  give  this  matter  earnest  attention  during  each  school  year, 
especially  during  forest  fire  prevention  week,  and  I  know  that  this 
appeal  will  not  be  in  vain. 

Very  truly  yours, 

WILL  C.  WOOD, 

Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. 


SHOWINC 

FOREST     ZONES 


LESSON  No.  1. 

THE  FORESTS  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

Before  learning  the  effect  of  forest  fires  and  how  they  are  detected 
and  fought,  you  will  want  to  know  more  about  where  our  forests  are 
located  and  their  value  to  the  State  in  various  ways. 

Location. 

The  forests  of  California  follow  the  mountain  ranges  of  the  State 
which  surround  the  large  central  valley.  This  forest  region  is  roughly 
shaped  like  a  horseshoe  in  outline,  with  the  toe  of  the  shoe  at  Mount 
Shasta,  one  side  extending  down  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains  to  the 
southern  boundary  of  Tulare  County,  the  other  down  the  Coast  ranges 
to  the  southern  boundary  of  Monterey  County.  The  higher  portions  of 
the  Coast  Mountains  of  Southern  California  below  Monterey  County 
contain  at  high  elevations  irregular  and  scattering  areas  of  forest,  but 
over  99  per  cent  of  the  mountain  land  bearing  forests  in  the  State  lies 
north  of  a  line  east  and  west  through  Bakersfield. 

Area. 

Our  uncut  forests  cover  an  area  of  13,500,000  acres,  which  is  practi- 
cally 13  per  cent  of  the  total  land  area  of  California.  This  area  is 
slightly  larger  than  that  of  San  Bernardino  County,  which  is  the  biggest 
county  in  California.  Two  million  acres,  an  area  equal  in  size  to  Trinity 
County,  have  already  been  cut  over.  This  cut-over  area,  wherever  it 
has  been  protected  from  fire,  the  great  enemy  of  the  forest,  is  now 
growing  another  crop  of  trees.  But  you  will  find  many  places  in  the 
mountains  where  fire  has  not  been  kept  out  of  cut-over  lands,  and  there 
all  the  timber  and  small  trees  have  been  burned  up. 

Kinds  of  Trees  in  Our  Forests. 

As  you  leave  the  valley  and  start  up  toward  the  mountains,  you  first 
enter  the  foothill  region  of  our  State,  which  borders  the  great  valley 
at  elevations  of  from  1000  feet  to  2500  feet  above  sea  level,  and  there 
the  oaks,  of  which  we  have  some  sixteen  varieties,  are  the  most  impor- 
tant trees.  The  trees  in  this  belt  are  of  use  to  us  as  fuel,  but  do  not 
make  good  lumber  because  they  are  crooked  and  often  rotten  at  the 
heart.  As  you  continue  to  climb  above  the  foothill  zone,  at  an  eleva- 
tion of  from  2500  to  7000  feet,  you  will  find  our  good  forests  of  pine  and 
fir  timber.  The  commercial  timber  trees  of  California — that  is  to  say, 
the  trees  that  are  manufactured  into  lumber,  belong  to  the  conifer 
family,  so  called  because  they  produce  their  fruit,  or  seeds,  in  a  cone 
that  is  covered  with  tough,  woody  scales  to  protect  the  seeds.  The  most 
valuable  timber  trees,  in  order  of  importance,  are  the  yellow  pine, 
redwood,  sugar  pine,  Douglas  fir,  white  fir  and  incense  cedar. 


Sugar  pine  and  yellow  pine  trees. 

There  are  two  varieties  of  redwood,  or  sequoia — the  coast  redwood, 
whi'ch  occurs  in  a  narrow  belt  of  low  elevation,  between  the  Coast  Range 
and  the  ocean,  from  the  southern  boundary  of  Monterey  County  to  the 
northern  line  of  the  State,  and  the  giant  sequoia  or  Big  tree,  which 
occurs  in  groups  at  high  elevations  through  the  Sierra  Nevadas  from 
Tulare  to  Placer  counties.  The  giant  sequoias  are  the  largest  and 


grandest  trees  in  the  world,  and  our  State  is  the  only  region  in  the  world 
in  which  these  most  wonderful  trees  are  found.  While  a  large  amount 
of  lumber  is  being  cut  from  the  coast  redwood,  the  Big  trees  are  being 
preserved  by  the  government  because  of  their  beauty  and  size.  The 
General  Sherman  tree,  in  the  Sequoia  National  Park,  is  considered  the 
largest  sequoia.  It  is  286  feet  tall  and  30  feet  in  diameter  above  the 
root-swelling.  It  is  known  that  trees  of  this  species  live  to  be  3000 
years  old. 

The  forests  that  occur  in  the  northern  Coast  Range  and  in  the  Sierra 
Nevada  Mountains  are  made  up  generally  of  several  tree  species  mingled 
together.  Yellow  pine,  sugar  pine,  white  fir  and  incense  cedar  are 


Redwood  timber  along  a  State  highway. 

nearly  always  found  together  at  elevations  over  3000  feet,  except  on 
the  eastern  side  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains,  where  but  little  sugar 
pine  is  found.  The  forests  of  the  northern  coast  ranges  contain  much 
Douglas  fir  timber,  but  it  is  never  found  in  the  forest  south  of  the  San 
Joaquin  River. 

Amount  of  Standing  Timber  and  What  Is  Annually  Cut. 

The  California  forests  contain  about  300  billion  feet  of  timber  suitable 
for  lumber.  Almost  exactly  one-third  of  this  amount  is  owned  by  the 
government,  and  is  located  within  our  seventeen  national  forests.  Some 
of  the  remainder  is  in  our  national  parks  and  State  forests.  The  timber 
in  California,  if  cut  into  lumber,  would  build  43  million  5-room  houses, 
which  would  provide  shelter  for  nearly  twice  as  many  people  as  there 
are  in  the  United  States  today,  or  it  would  furnish  all  the  wood  for 
building  and  for  fuel  that  all  the  people  in  the  United  States  would  need 
for  nearly  eight  years. 

The  cut  from  the  California  forests  each  year  is  about  one  and  four- 
tenths  billion  feet,  board  measure,  and  only  four  states  now  produce 
more  lumber  annually  than  California.  These  states,  in  order  of  amount 
of  lumber  cut,  are  Washington,  Oregon,  Louisiana  and  Mississippi. 

2—17060 


—  10  — 

But  lumber  is  not  the  only  product  of  our  forests.  Our  forests  are 
of  very  large  value  in  conserving  the  water  which  falls  in  the  form  of 
rain  and  snow.  The  ground,  generally  overlaid  with  a  blanket  of  decay- 
ing mold  and  duff,  makes  a  reservoir  which  absorbs  large  amounts  of 
water.  It  acts  like  a  blotter,  and  only  after  the  ground  is  full  of  water 
does  the  water  begin  to  run  off.  The  water  of  the  streams  of  California 
is  of  untold  value  in  the  life  of  its  people.  It  is  not  only  used  for 
domestic  purposes  of  all  sorts,  but  for  irrigation  and  for  the  develop- 
ment of  hydro-electric  power.  California  is  famed  all  over  the  world 


Snow  on  Mount  Shas 


hich  comes  water  for  power  and  irrigation. 


as  a  state  where  crops  of  valuable  food  products  are  grown.  It  would 
not  have  this  reputation  if  it  did  not  possess  the  water  which,  used  in 
irrigation,  makes  certain  the  maturing  of  the  crops  of  citrus  fruits, 
raisins,  peaches,  apricots,  prunes,  walnuts,  etc.  It  is  estimated  that 
there  can  be  developed  from  Californias  streams  over  7,000,000  horse- 
power of  electric  energy.  Already,  of  this  amount,  over  3,000,000 
horsepower  has  been  developed.  This  electric  energy  is  a  most  impor- 
tant factor  in  seeing  that  the  wheels  of  industry  are  kept  constantly 
moving.  So  you  will  see  how  important  it  is  that  the  forests,  which 
conserve  the  waters  of  these  streams  used  for  the  purposes  mentioned 
above,  are  protected. 

Many  people  like  to  go  to  the  woods  for  rest  and  recreation.  With 
the  coming  of  the  automobile  and  the  building  of  better  roads,  the  people 
are  going  in  constantly  increasing  numbers  into  the  mountains  to  take 
advantage  of  the  streams  and  lakes,  the  shade  of  the  trees,  and  the 


—  11  — 

restful  quiet  which  can  be  found  nowhere  else.  With  the  coming  of 
these  people  in  increasing  thousands  every  year,  there  must  be  places 
established  to  provide  for  those  who  do  not  know  much  about  taking 
care  of  themselves  in  the  woods;  and  so,  as  you  travel  the  main  high- 
ways through  our  mountain  country,  you  will  find  public  camp  grounds 
established  by  various  public  agencies,  where  there  are  camp  tables,  fire- 
places and  sanitary  conveniences  for  the  use  of  those  who  desire  to  stop 
and  camp.  The  recreational  resource  of  our  mountains  can  be  counted 
as  one  of  the  largest  and  most  important,  and  it  is  estimated  that  over 
a  million  and  a  half  people  enjoy  those  good  things  which  our  forests 
have  to  offer  every  year. 

As  you  travel  through  the  forests  of  California  you  will  find  large 
openings,  glades  or  meadows,  in  which  grass  grows  abundantly.  Also, 
in  the  open  stands  of  timber,  you  will  notice  various  kinds  of  herbage. 


A  reservoir  in  the  Stanislaus  National  Forest  used  for  both  water  power  and 
recreation. 

Many  of  the  grasses  are  palatable  for  cattle  and  sheep,  and  for  years  in 
the  mountains  it  has  been  a  common  sight  to  see  these  animals  eating 
this  good  food  during  the  summer  season,  extending  generally  from  the 
first  of  June  to  the  last  of  September.  Within  the  seventeen  national 
forests  of  the  State  there  are  grazed  225,000  cattle  and  horses  and 
550,000  sheep  and  goats  each  year.  These  stock  are  grazed  under  permit 
issued  by  the  government,  and  the  rangers  are  there  to  see  that  these 
animals  stay  where  they  belong-  and  that  no  more  come  in  than  are 
permitted.  In  furnishing  this  forage  to  the  stock,  our  forests  play 
another  important  part  in  the  economic  welfare  of  the  State,  as  the  meat 
products  which  come  from  the  stock  grazed  in  our  forests  help  give  life 
and  sustenance  to  thousands  of  Calif ornians.  So. you  will  see  that  the 
food  that  cattle  and  sheep  find  in  the  mountains  in  the  summer  means 
that  they  do  not  have  to  be  fed  with  hay  and  grain,  which  can  either 
be  used  for  feeding  the  stock  in  the  winter,  or  the  grain  made  into  flour. 


—  12  — 


Cattle  and  horses  grazing  on  a  national  forest. 
QUESTIONS. 

1.  Where  do  the  forests  of  California  occur? 

2.  What  is  the  acreage  of  uncut  timber  land  in  our  State  ? 

3.  What  acreage  of  forest  land  has  been  cut  over  1 

4.  What  are  the  most  important  trees  in  the  foothill  region,  and  for 

what  are  these  trees  used  ? 

5.  What  is  meant  by  the  term  "commercial  timber"? 

6.  Name  six  species  of  trees  that,  are  cut  into  lumber,  in  order  of 

importance. 

7.  How  much  timber  is  there  in  the  forests  of  our  State,  and  what 

proportion  of  this  amount  is  included  in  our  national  forests  ? 

8.  How  do  our  forests  conserve  water  ? 

9.  How  many  people  visit  our  forests  for  recreation  every  year  ? 
10.  How  much  stock  is  grazed  on  our  national  forests  in  California? 


—  13  — 


LESSON  No.  2. 

THE  EFFECT  OF  FIRES. 
Action  of  Fire. 

In  the  later  lessons  you  will  learn  how  fires  are  prevented  from 
starting  in  the  forests  and  how  they  are  put  ou,t  if  they  do  start.  But 
first  you  will  want  to  know  why  it  is  necessary  to  fight  forest  fires,  so 
we  shall  describe  what  fires  do  in  timber  and  in  brush. 

Timber  fires — When  a  fire  burns  through  a  forest  of  growing  trees 
it  finds  a  large  variety  of  fuel.  On  the  ground  is  a  layer  of  needles, 
twigs,  bits  of  bark,  which  have  fallen  from  the  trees  themselves,  mixed 
with  grass  and  weeds,  all  of  it  very  dry  and  easily  burned  during  the 
summer  or  what  we  call  the  fire  season.  Here  and  there  is  an  old  tree 


Effect  of  a  heavy  fire  on  timber. 

that  has  died  and  fallen  on  the  ground.  Perhaps-  there  is  a  small  open 
spot  in  the  timber,  that  is  covered  with  brush  or  woody  shrubs,  which 
are  also  very  inflammable.  So  when  the  fire  burns,  this  sort  of  material 
is  what  it  feeds  on,  and  some  people  have  thought  it  was  a  good  thing 
to  get  rid  of  this,  simply  because  it  can  not  be  used  to  make  lumber. 
But  all  of  this  litter  gradually  decays  and  then  acts  as  a  fertilizer  for 
the  growing  trees,  just  as  gardens  need  to  have  fertilizer  to  grow  best. 
This  litter  is  also  very  useful  as  a  water  conserver  and  to  prevent  erosion 
when  heavy  rains  occur  on  the  mountains.  So  fires  in  the  forests  not 
only  destroy  the  timber  and  ground  cover,  but  by  burning  the  litter  on 
the  ground  cause  the  water  to  run  off  faster  after  a  storm,  and  this 
causes  erosion. 

Besides  all  this,  though,  you  would  find  in  this  forest  lots  of  little 
young  trees,  some  in  clumps  and  some  growing  alone.  So  when  the  fire 
burns  through  the  forest,  it  kills  many  of  these  young  trees,  because  they 
are  very  tender,  and  this  is  one  thing  we  are  trying  to  avoid,  because 
after  the  bigger  trees — the  old  ones — are  cut  to  make  lumber  for  houses 
and  boxes  and  all  the  things  that  wood  is  used  for,  these  little  trees  will 


—  14  — 

keep  on  growing  and  in  time  will  make  a  second  forest  of  big  trees  on 
the  same  land  as  the  first. 

And  now  we  are  ready  to  look  at  the  big  trees  of  pine  and  fir  and 
cedar.  The  first  thing  we  shall  see  is  that  some  of  them  have  already 
been  burned  near  the  ground,  so  that  part  of  the  bark  and  wood  is  gone, 
and  what  we  call  a  fire  scar  has  been  made  on  the  tree.  This  is  because 
for  centuries  there  have  been  fires  in  the  forests,  and  gradually  the  wood 
is  burned  away  at  the  base  of  the  trees,  forming  these  fire  scars. 

So  now  the  fire  comes  to  one  of  these  scarred  trees,  burning  through 
the  needles  and  twigs.  All  over  the  scar,  if  the  tree  is  a  pine  or  a  fir, 


What  a  ground  fire  does  to  the  little  trees. 

is  pitch  that  the  tree  has  put  out  trying  to  heal  the  wound.  The  fire 
catches  in  this  and  finally  sets  the  wood  of  the  tree  afire,  and  that  tree 
will  burn  for  hours,  until,  finally,  perhaps  so  much  wood  is  burned  out 
that  the  tree  falls  to  the  ground  and  lies  there  and  rots  and  does  no 
good  to  any  one. 

Maybe  a  little  farther  on  the  fire  comes  to  a  thick  group  of  big  trees, 
with  lots  of  needles  and  twigs  on  the  ground  and  a  dead  log  besides. 
Just  then  a  puff  of  wind  comes  along,  and  the  fire,  with  so  much  fuel  to 
burn,  flames  up  to  the  crown  of  the  trees  and  roars  there  for  a  minute, 
but  by  that  time  it  has  burned  away  all  the  leaves  of  the  trees,  and  they 
die,  though  the  trunks  will  stand  there  for  years,  until  finally  they  rot 
and  fall. 

So  while  the  fire  has  not  killed  or  injured  all  the  big  trees  from  which 
lumber  comes,  it  has  burned  down  some  of  them,  and  the  heat  and  flames 
have  killed  others.  Probably  a  fifteenth  or  a  tenth  of  all  the  trees  has 
been  destroyed,  and  just  so  much  wood  that  we  need  has  been  spoiled 
for  our  use. 

Brush  fires — Let's  suppose  that  as  the  fire  goes  on  it  comes  out  of  the 
timber  onto  a  steep  south  slope,  where,  instead  of  the  trees  standing 
close  together,  there  is  only  a  tree  maybe  every  two  hundred  feet.  And 
on  the  ground  it  looks  as  if  there  was  nothing  but  brush,  about  five  feet 
high  and  so  thick  it  is  hard  even  to  crawl  through.  But  if  we  look 
closely  we  will  see  many  young  trees  growing  under  the  brush,  or  even 


—  15  — 

a  little  taller  than  it,  that  have  come  from  seed  from  these  scattered  old 
trees.  These  brush  fields  have  been  caused  by  the  fires  of  the  past,  the 
same  ones  that  scarred  the  big  trees  in  the  timber,  because  every  now 
and  then  one  of  these  fires  became  so  hot  that  it  killed  nearly  all  the  old 


Effect  of  repeated  ground  fires  on  a  big  pine  tree. 

trees  and  allowed  the  brush,  which  is  no  good  for  timber,  to  come  in  and 
take  the  ground. 

When  the  fire  comes  to  this  brush  field  it  is  going  to  be  very  hot, 
because  it  can  reach  the  crown  of  the  brush  as  well  as  all  the  litter  of 
leaves  on  the  ground.  So  it  will  roar  through  the  brush  field  and  burn 
up  all  the  small  trees  that  would  have  made  a  new  forest  if  fire  had  only 
been  prevented.  Besides,  when  all  the  brush  is  burned  down,  the  rain 
will  wash  the  soil  off.  this  steep  slope  and  carry  it  down  the  streams,  to  fill 
up  reservoirs  and  harbors.  And  with  some  of  the  soil  gone,  it  will  be 
just  so  much  harder  for  trees  to  start  on  that  mountain  side  again.  It 
may  be  fifty  years  before  trees  can  grow  there  once  more. 

Grass  and  grain  fires — Grass  and  grain  fires  in  the  valleys  and  foot- 
hills of  California  do  a  large  amount  of  damage  every  year.  Much 
stock  feed  is  destroyed  and  thousands  of  acres  of  standing  grain  are 


—  16  — 


The  result  of  bad  lumbering  and  repeated  fires. 

burned,  mainly  through  carelessness.  This  results  in  a  serious  loss  to 
many  ranchers  and  stockmen,  as  well  as  a  direct  loss  of  grain  and  pas- 
ture to  all  of  the  people  of  the  State.  These  fires  are  usually  handled  by 
the  State  forest  rangers,  who  cooperate  with  the  local  settlers  and 
farmers  in  putting  them  out. 


The  results  of  fire  protection.     Little  trees  coming  up  through  the  brush. 

QUESTIONS. 

1.  What  are  the  principal  ways  in  which  fire  damages  the  forest? 

2.  Why  should  the  small  trees  in  a  forest  be  protected  from  fire  ? 

3.  Why  are  fires  in  brush  fields  damaging  ? 

4.  What  is  the  cause  of  brush  fields  ? 

5.  Why  are  fires  in  grass  and  grain  fields  damaging  1 


—  17  — 


LESSON  No.  3. 

CAUSES  OF  FIRES. 

In  the  lesson  preceding  this,  you  learned  what  serious  damage  results 
from  fire.  The  question  naturally  follows:  "What  causes  these  fires"? 
To  answer  this  question,  let  us  classify  the  agencies  causing  these  fires 


into  two  general  divisions — those  caused  by  nature  and  those  caused 
by  man. 


—  18  — 

In  the  division  of  nature-caused  fires  the  most  destructive  is : 
Lightning. 

Throughout  the  summer  months  the  forest  regions  of  California  are 
very  often  visited  by  thunder  storms,  often  accompanied  by  rainfall,  but 
occasionally  not.  Bolts  of  lightning  strike  trees  and,  especially  when 
dead,  ignite  the  wood,  throw  sparks  into  the  surrounding  inflammable 
material,  and  start  forest  fires.  In  California,  lightning  storms  in  this 
way  start  400  to  500  fires  every  summer.  There  is  no  way  by  which 
lightning  fires  can  be  prevented.  They  usually  occur  in  the  higher 
mountains,  and  the  best  that  can  be  done  is  to  put  out  immediately  such 
fires,  before  they  cover  any  considerable  area.  Sometimes  a  very  bad 
storm  sets  several  hundred  fires  in  one  day,  and  then  the  rangers  have 
a  great  deal  of  trouble  in  putting  them  all  out. 

By  far  the  most  serious  and  devastating  fires  result  from  man's 
carelessness  or  ignorance. 


A  camp  fire  built  by  a  careless  camper. 


—  19  — 

Camp  Fires. 

Camp  fires  carelessly  built  or  left  untended  spread  through  the  dry 
undergrowth,  and  in  time  become  forest  or  brush  or  grass  fires,  destroy- 
ing the  beautiful  camping  places  of  the  State.  In  the  next  lessons  you 
will  learn  how  every  one  can  build  safe  camp  fires  and  help  in  preventing 
such  serious  losses. 


Fires  are  sometimes  set  by  donkey  engines  used  on  timber 
cuttings. 

Smokers. 

Careless  hunters  and  fishermen  traveling  through  the  woods  are 
responsible  for  many  fires,  by  either  throwing  away  lighted  matches, 
pipe  embers,  smoldering  cigars  or  cigarettes.  Smokers  traveling  by 
automobile  likewise  are  guilty  of  careless  disposal  of  their  smoking 


—  20  — 

material,  which  often  falls  into  masses  of  dry,  inflammable  pine  needles 
and  grass,  flaring  into  forest  fires  with  the  first  wind  that  comes  up. 
Much  grain  and  pasture  land  is  burned  over  from  the  same  cause. 

Industrial  Fires. 

Certain  industries  of  man  find  it  necessary  to  use  fire  in  the  woods. 
The  operation  of  logging  engines,  railroad  engines,  and  the  clearing  of 
land  by  ranchers,  result  in  many  forest  fires  through  lack  of  care. 
Sparks  from  engines  can  be  prevented  by  the  use  of  proper  spark  arrest- 
ers on  the  smokestacks.  If  small  fires  do  start  once  in  a  while,  imme- 
diate attention  to  them  will  prevent  damage  to  timber  and  watershed 


A  fire  on  a  logging  area  caused  by  carelessness. 

brush  cover.  Ranchers  can  prevent  fire  escaping  by  using  care  and 
burning  brush  and  debris  only  when  there  is  no  danger  of  a  fire  result- 
ing. This  means  burning  brush  after  the  fall  rains  begin,  and  not 
during  the  dry  season. 

Incendiary  Fires. 

Malicious  and  criminal  people  sometimes  start  fires  in  the  forest,  as 
well  as  in  towns.  While  their  number  is  few,  the  fires  they  start  some- 
times do  much  damage  and  are  hard  to  put  out.  Public  sentiment,  with 
the  help  of  law  officers,  can  run  down  those  who  wilfully  set  fires,  and 
punish  them  as  they  justly  deserve. 


- 


•» 


QUESTIONS. 

1.  Into  what  two  general  divisions  can  the  causes  of  forest  fires  be 

divided  ? 

2.  Name  the  way  in  which  nature  starts  forest  fires. 

3.  Name  the  ways  in  which  man  causes  forest  fires. 

4.  How  do  smokers  start  forest  fires? 

5.  How  do  campers  start  forest  fires  ? 

6.  When  can  brush  be  safely  burned? 


—  22  — 

LESSON  No.  4. 

FIRE  PREVENTION. 

Since  you  have  learned  how  fires  are  started  and  what  damage  they 
cause,  you  will  next  want  to  know  how  many  of  them  can  be  prevented 
altogether. 

If  every  one  who  goes  into  the  fields  and  mountains  would  learn  and 
would  follow  the  woodsmen 's  rules  in  the  handling  of  fires,  a  very  large 
number  of  the  destructive  blazes  that  start  now  from  human  carelessness 
would  never  take  place. 


How  the  woodsman  builds  his  camp  fire — out  in  an  open  place. 


Remember  that  good  woodsmen  build  small  camp  fires,  away  from 
any  living  trees,  large  logs  or  green  brush,  on  a  piece  of  ground  that 
has  been  cleared  of  all  leaves  and  trash.  They  never  build  huge  bon- 
fires in  windy  weather  or  where  there  is  the  slightest  danger  of  their  fires 
getting  away. 

How  to  Put  Out  a  Camp  Fire. 

Good  woodsmen  never  leave  camp  until  they  have  put  enough  water  on 
their  fires  and  have  covered  them  up  with  earth  (to  know  for  certain  the 
fires  are  entirely  out),  at  the  same  time  cleaning  up  and  burying  all 
refuse  that  has  accumulated  in  the  camp,  that  has  not  been  burned,  so 
that  the  person  who  may  move  in  after  they  leave  will  have  a  clean  and 
attractive  place  in  which  to  camp,  instead  of  a  blackened  waste,  with 
cans  and  refuse  scattered  all  around. 


—  23  — 

How  to  Prevent  Smokers'  Fires. 

Good  woodsmen  make  sure  that  in  any  matches  they  may  light,  or 
tobacco  they  may  be  smoking,  the  sparks  are  completely  out  before  they 
throw  them  away,  as  they  know  that  the  thoughtless  tossing  of  a  lighted 


A  careless  camper's  fire  in  the  brush. 


cigarette  or  match  into  a  bunch  of  dry  grass  or  down  among  some  dry 
pine  needles  may  start  a  serious  fire  that  may  burn  up  valuable  grain 
fields  or  pastures,  and  houses,  or  destroy  large  bodies  of  timber  before 
it  is  stopped. 


—  24  — 


A  public  camp  ground  maintained  by  the  Forest  Service. 

How  to  Prevent  Industrial  Fires. 

Good  woodsmen  see  to  it  that  any  machinery  that  is  used  in  the 
fields  or  forests,  such  as  engines  and  tractors,  are  in  such  shape  that 
sparks  can  not  get  out  of  their  smokestacks,  or  burning  particles  of 


Campers  in  the  forest. 


carbon  blow  out,  to  set  fire  to  the  dry  brush,  timber,  grass  or  grain 
in  which  they  may  be  working.  If  the  woodsmen  do  find  a  fire  they 
try  very  hard  to  put  it  out  themselves,  but  if  they  find  that  they  can 
not  do  this  they  get  word  at  once  to  the  nearest  United  States  forest 
officer  or  State  fire  ranger  or  warden  to  get  help  to  put  it  out. 


—  25  — 

State  and  Federal  Fire  Laws. 

To  be  sure  that  those  persons  who  are  careless  with  fire  are  taught 
how  dangerous  this  is,  the  government  and  most  of  the  states  have 
passed  laws  which  fix  severe  penalties  for  failure  to  handle  fire  in  the 
way  good  woodsmen  should. 

The  State  of  California  has  a  number  of  such  laws  which  have 
penalties  of  from  fifteen  days  to  six  months  in  jail,  with  fines  of 
from  fifty  to  five  hundred  dollars,  if  the  laws  are  broken.  Signs  are 
posted  throughout  the  country,  calling  attention  to  the  fire  laws. 


Result  of  a  careless  camper. 

Neither  these  nor  any  other  signs  giving  valuable  information  to  the 
public  should  be  mutilated,  and  you  can  give  good  service  by  helping 
to  protect  them. 

These  laws  were  passed  to  help  reduce  the  number  of  fires  that  could 
be  prevented  if  all  people  were  as  careful  as  they  should  be  in  their 
use  of  fire.  There  will  always  be  some  fires  in  the  forests  and  fields 
which  will  be  caused  by  nature  from  lightning,  and  perhaps  some  will 
result  from  purely  accidental  causes,  such  as  from  the  breaking  of 
power  lines,  but  if  each  one  of  you  will  adopt  as  his  motto  "Help 
Prevent  Fires,"  and  will  do  his  utmost  to  follow  in  the  woodsman's 
footsteps  in  his  use  of  fire,  the  losses  and  damage  from  all  except  those 
caused  by  nature  or  accident  will  be  averted. 

QUESTIONS. 

1.  What  kind  of  a  fire  does  a  good  woodsman  build  ? 

2.  How  does  he  prepare  and  decide  upon  a  place  in  which  to  build  it  ? 

3.  What  does  he  do  with  his  camp  fire  and  the  refuse  in  his  camp  before 

he  leaves  it? 

4.  What  does  a  good  woodsman  do  with  a  lighted  match,  or  tobacco  he 

may  have  been  smoking,  before  he  throws  it  away? 

5.  Has  California  laws  against  carelessness  with  fire,  and  what  are  the 

penalties  for  disobeying  them? 


26  — 


LESSON  No.  5. 
HOW  FIRES  ARE  DETECTED  AND  FOUGHT. 

In  the  other  lessons  you  have  learned  about  our  forests,  why  and  how 
fires  damage  them,  how  fires  are  caused  and  how  many  of  them  can  be 
prevented.  Now  you  will  want  to  know  how  fires  are  detected  and 
fought  in  case  they  do  start. 


A  Forest  Service  lookout  station, 


—  27  — 

In  cities,  towns  and  other  places  of  human  habitation,  fires  are  usually 
discovered  as  soon  as  they  break  out,  and  the  alarm  is  given.  When 
you.  travel  in  the  mountains  you  will  see  that  extensive  areas  of  our 
forests,  however,  are  so  thinly  populated,  and  with  such  obstructed  views 
because  of  mountain  ranges  and  deep  canyons,  that  fires  might  become 
very  large  before  they  were  discovered  if  some  special  means  of  detection 
were  not  employed. 

Lookouts. 

So  you  will  find  that  careful  watch  is  maintained  over  such  areas  by 
stationing  men  on  the  highest  peaks  to  act  as  lookouts  and  by  placing 
fire  guards  to  patrol  along  ridges  and  other  routes  where  they  have  a 
good  view  of  areas  in  which  fires  are  likely  to  occur.  The  lookout  men  go 
to  their  stations  on  the  high  mountain  peaks  early  in  the  summer  and 
remain  constantly  on  duty  until  the  first  rains  come  in  the  fall.  Food 
supplies  are  sent  to  them  by  the  rangers.  They  occupy  small  buildings 
with  windows  on  all  sides — a  "ribbon"  of  glass  entirely  around  the 
building.  These  lookout  men  do  not  go  to  fires,  but  report  them  imme- 
diately to  the  rangers.  Ordinarily  the  reports  are  telephoned,  but  in 
a  few  localities  where  there  are  no  telephone  lines  the  heliograph  is 
used  for  this  purpose.  This  instrument  flashes  signals  by  means  of  a 
mirror  and  the  sun's  rays,  using  the  telegraph  or  some  other  code.  But 
this  can  be  used  only  on  sunny  days  and  is,  therefore,  useless  in  cloudy 
weather  and  when  the  sun  is  obscured  by  haze  and  smoke  from  forest 
fires. 

In  addition,  all  people  within  or  near  the  forests  (miners,  stockmen, 
hunters,  campers,  etc.)  are  constantly  on  the  watch  for  fires,  and  report 
them  immediately  to  the  forest  rangers  if  help  is  needed  in  putting 
them  out. 

Telephone  Lines. 

And,  as  you  go  through  the  mountains,  you  will  find  that  a  very 
good  system  of  telephone  lines  is  maintained,  in  order  that  reports  may 
reach  the  rangers  without  delay,  and  that  the  forests  are  also  patrolled 
by  airplanes,  from  which  fires  are  reported  by  radio  to  the  rangers  on 
the  ground. 

Ranger  Stations. 

Here  and  there  throughout  the  mountains  you  will  come  across  ranger 
stations,  which  are  the  homes  of  the  rangers  and  are  located  at  central 
points  within  their  respective  districts,  so  that  people  can  find  them 
easily.  During  the  summer  months  these  rangers  are  assisted  by  guards, 
patrolmen  and  firemen.  Before  the  season  opens  they  see  that  there 
is  an  ample  supply  of  fire-fighting  equipment,  well  distributed  to  points 
where  it  will  most  likely  be  needed  in  case  of  fire.  This  equipment  con- 
sists of  axes,  shovels,  rakes,  hoes,  canteens  and  cooking  utensils.  It 
must  be  kept  in  good  condition  and  ready  to  use  at  all  times,  because 
a  fire  is  likely  to  start  at  any  moment.  The  rangers  also  have  arrange- 
ments made  with  merchants,  garagemen,  ranchers  and  employers  of 


—  28  — 


t 


labor,  so  that  when  big  fires  are  reported  they  can,  on  very  short  notice, 
get  men  for  fire  fighters,  transport  them  to  the  fire  line,  and  forward 
food  supplies  and  equipment. 


A  fire  discovered  from  the  lookout. 

How  Fires  Are  Put  Out. 

When  the  report  of  a  fire  is  received  the  ranger  or  one  of  his  assistants 
may  go  to  it  alone,  if  it  is  very  small,  or  three  or  four  men,  with  rations 
for  two  days,  may  be  sent.  If  the  report  indicates  that  the  fire  is 
likely  to  become  a  big  one,  a  large  number  of  men  with  fire-fighting  tools 


Forest  patrolman  telephoning  the  ranger  station  about  a  fire. 

are  sent  as  rapidly  as  possible,  and  food  supplies  sufficient  for  several 
days,  and  other  equipment,  may  follow  by  slower  transportation,  because 
the  rangers  always  keep  working  at  the  fire  until  it  is  completely  out, 
and  do  not  want  to  waste  time  in  going  back  and  forth  for  food  and 
tools. 


Small  fires  in  grass  and  ground  litter  can  often  be  beaten  out  with 
branches,  sacks,  shovels,  etc.  Brush  fires,  if  burning  fiercely,  are  not 
so  easily  handled,  and  it  is  usually  necessary  to  clear  a  wide  trail  or 
fire-line,  which  the  flames  can  not  cross,  some  distance  in  advance  of 
the  fire.  In  clearing  this  fire-line  advantage  is  taken  of  open  spaces 
in  the  brush,  which  will  permit  the  work  to  be  done  more  rapidly, 
and  of  ridges,  where  the  fire  does  not  usually  burn  so  fiercely.  Some- 
times back-firing  is  resorted  to  very  successfully.  This  consists  of  build- 
ing a  fire  along  a  road  or  trail,  or  other  favorable  place  where  it  can  be 


Meyers  Ranger  Station,  El  Dorado  National  Forest. 

properly  controlled,  and  allowing  it  to  burn  back  to  the  main  fire,  where 
they  both  go  out  for  lack  of  further  material  to  burn.  A  back-fire, 
however,  if  not  carefully  handled  is  likely  to  get  beyond  control.  It 
should  be  used  only  by  experienced  fire  fighters.  A  strong  fire  through 
the  tops  or  crowns  of  trees  is  almost  impossible  to  control  until  there  is 
a  change  in  the  wind,  or  other  favorable  conditions  arise.  In  fact,  in 
all  fire  fighting,  advantage  must  be  taken  of  every  natural  condition. 
A  fire  may  burn  very  rapidly  up  steep  canyon  sides,  but  may  be  stopped 
easily  at  the  top  of  a  ridge ;  fires  die  down  during  the  night,  and  the  best 
time  for  fighting  them  is  immediately  after  daybreak. 

What  You  Can  Do  to  Prevent  Fires. 

So  you  should  remember  that  it  is  the  duty  of  every  one  who  goes  into 
the  forests,  whether  on  business  or  pleasure,  to  aid  in  the  suppression 
of  fires,  as  well  as  in  the  prevention.  Furthermore,  you  should  make  it 
a  point  to  influence  others  to  do  the  same.  You  should  get  acquainted 
with  the  rangers  and  know  how  you  can  reach  them  quickly  in  emer- 
gencies. If  a  fire  is  discovered  that  you  can  extinguish  alone,  you 
should,  of  course,  do  so,  making  certain  that  no  embers  remain  that 


might  start  it  up  again.     If  the  fire  is  too  large  to  handle  alone,  you 
should  report  it  at  once  to  the  nearest  forest  officer  or  State  ranger  or 


QUESTIONS. 

1.  Name  three  ways  in  which  forest  fires  may  be  detected  and  reported. 

2.  What  arrangements  do  rangers  make  in  advance,  so  as  to  be  ready 

when  big  fires  break  out? 

3.  What  would  you  do,  if  you  should  discover  a  small  fire  ?    A  large  one  ? 

4.  How  would  you  extinguish  a  small  fire  in  grass  or  brush? 


SOUTHERN    BRANCH 

UNIVER  '  TY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
LIBRAF 

LOS  ANGELES.  CALIF. 


17060     3-22     25M 


